Meant To Be
by jediloser09
Summary: Takes place a year after series finale. Rory and Jess both come home for Luke and Lorelai's long awaited wedding and inevitably meet up...
1. Chapter 1: Welcome Home Rory

Chapter One: Welcome Home Rory

"Stars Hollow. Founded 1779."

Never had Rory Gilmore seen a more welcome sign. After being away for almost an entire year without a visit, the sight of her home town nearly brought tears to her eyes.

It was late, close to midnight, and the town was deserted. Most of the Stars Hollow residents went to bed around 10:30. If they were going to be just as wacky the next day, they needed their sleep.

As Rory neared the town square, she smiled at the sight. There was a huge party tent set up next to the gazebo with a banner declaring,

"Welcome Home Rory!"

The decorations were only half up, but from what she could gather, it was a traveling theme. She saw a six foot tall Eiffel Tower replica that seemed to be made out of Popsicle sticks, a miniature Coliseum made out of brightly colored Play-Doh, and an Egyptian pyramid made out of cheese cubes.

Rory snickered at the town's bizarre creativity and drove on.

As she passed Luke's Diner, she gazed longingly at it. Finally a good cup of coffee was back within walking distance. Not to mention the world's best pancakes and French fries.

She drove past Taylor's Olde Soda Shoppe and marveled at how it had managed to remain standing for yet another year. She was sure that one of these days Luke would finally snap and demolish the place as the owner slept, blissfully unaware.

Rory drove past Miss Patty's, Doose's, and Gypsy's, each establishment bringing her closer to her much awaited destination. Turning down the gravel driveway, Rory watched Babette's various garden gnomes go by until finally she spotted the image that had danced in her mind for months upon months.

She was home.

Excitement bubbling in her stomach, she got out of her car and looked up at the wonderful structure standing before her. The white, two-story house with a wrap-around porch. The trees that surrounded the area. The old, reliable white Jeep and Luke's pickup truck. The window to her bedroom (it'd better still be her bedroom…), and looking up, the window to her best friend's.

Taking out her cell phone, Rory punched in the number that her fingers had dialed hundreds of times before. After four or five rings, she heard the most beautiful, grumpy voice.

"Hello?" The word was clipped off in irritation at the interruption of her beauty sleep.

"Hey, mom," Rory replied, a huge grin splitting across her face.

"Rory?" Lorelai Gilmore immediately sounded alert. Rory watched the light in her mother's bedroom turn on. "Hun, is everything okay?"

"Look out your window and see for yourself," Rory replied gleefully.

"Look out my…" Lorelai cut herself off, and Rory could imagine the look of realization crossing her mother's face.

Suddenly there was a loud commotion on Lorelai's end of the line which involved Luke's voice yelling,

"Ow! Lorelai! What's wrong with you!"

Rory laughed as the blinds started going crazy at the upstairs window. Finally they were jerked up and Lorelai let out a delighted scream. Rory waved like a lunatic at her fully awake and fully elated mother.

Lorelai disappeared from the window and more commotion could be heard.

"Lorelai! Are you crazy? What's going on?" Luke was yelling over her screams of hysteria.

"Luke! Rory's home!" Lorelai declared enthusiastically.

Moments later, the front door was ripped open, and Lorelai, clad in a small nightgown and sneakers, came rushing out to be met halfway by her daughter. The embrace was tight and involved lots of screaming and laughing. Luke was quick to arrive and barely had time to give Rory an affectionate hug before Lorelai greedily pulled her away.

"Lorelai, doll!" they heard Babette yell from next door. The three looked over. "What's all the racket? You nearly gave me—" She cut off, seeing Rory for the first time. "Rory!" she screamed. "Oh my God, it's Rory! Morey! Morey! Rory's back!" she hollered at the top of her lungs. "I've gotta call Miss Patty!" Babette ran inside, but appeared a second later to yell, "Rory, doll! It's great to have you back!"

Lorelai's focus turned back on her one and only daughter. She squeezed Rory's middle and planted a big kiss on her cheek.

"And now the entire town will know you're here!" she said, her huge grin not vacationing any time soon. "But mommy's gotta know: what are you doing home?"

"Well, I guess I could go back if you want…" Rory said, feigning to pout as she tried to pull away.

Lorelai's grip only tightened, forcing Rory's smile back on her lips.

"You're not supposed to be home until tomorrow!" Lorelai continued, not at all sorry that Rory was early.

"I wanted to surprise you!" Rory said cheerfully.

"Well, my darling daughter, you succeeded in that!" she exclaimed.

"If you couldn't tell by her deafening screams," Luke commented dryly. "And for the record, I don't think one can truly appreciate them unless they're sound asleep in the same room."

"I'm sorry, Luke," Rory said, still glued to her mother. She tried her best to look genuinely remorseful instead of as blatantly happy as she felt.

She must have succeeded somewhat because Luke's annoyed face softened into a smile. "Don't worry about it," he said. "It's great to have you home."

"Oh no!" Lorelai exclaimed, her expression suddenly changing to that of disappointment.

"What?" Rory asked, concerned about the sudden mood swing.

"The party!" Lorelai wailed.

"Huh?" Rory asked, still confused.

"You saw the town square, didn't you?" Lorelai pouted.

Rory's face immediately lit back up at the memory of the decorations. "It's very impressive," she stated.

"Aw man," her mother moaned. "It was supposed to be a surprise!"

"The Eiffel Tower is truly stunning," Rory went on.

"I knew we shouldn't have started today!"

"You don't expect people to actually _eat_ the cheese pyramid after sitting out all night, do you?"

"Damn Taylor and his anti-procrastination speech!"

"You do realize that I haven't been to half of those countries, right?"

Suddenly Lorelai seemed to snap out of her reverie.

"But you're home!" she gushed, hugging her daughter tightly once more. "Mama's baby is home!"

Rory squeezed her back.

"I'm home!"

Luke just stood there, shaking his head. "I don't think I'll ever understand you two," he remarked. "How's about I go make some coffee?"

"Oh, Luke!" Rory exclaimed dramatically. "I've been gone so long and yet you still remember!"

"I have trained him well," Lorelai said proudly.

As Luke walked towards the house, the girls trailed behind, sitting on the porch swing. Suddenly a frown creased Rory's brow.

"Mom, you can't throw me a party!" she declared vehemently.

"Whoa, where is this coming from?" Lorelai frowned.

"This is _your _week, Mom. Yours and Luke's," she insisted. "I'm back for _your _wedding next weekend. I don't want this party to overshadow it somehow."

"Oh, honey, _please_," Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Do you think my wedding would let your party do that? Believe me, my wedding's had a little chat with your party and it's going to _pale _in comparison. In fact, it'll be so pale that it will probably disappear when put next to my wedding."

Rory hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, sweetie, I'm sure," she smiled.

Rory smiled back. "Okay good."

They two sat there in contented silence for a few minutes.

"Oh, and Mom?" Rory said.

"Yeah, hun?"

"Tell your wedding that my party thinks he's a snob."

"Will do."


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome Home Jess

Chapter Two: Welcome Home Jess

"Stars Hollow. Founded 1779."

Never had Jess Mariano seen a less welcome sign. After nearly four years of avoiding the place that had once served as a temporary home town, he was back. He suppressed the groan that rose in his throat.

It wasn't that Jess was dreading the _reason_ for being there. Quite to the contrary, he was glad that his uncle was finally settling down with a good, though not entirely sane, woman. Luke deserved to be happy. Though he may never understand Luke's choice in his bride, he knew his uncle had been waiting for this for many years.

No, the grounds for his exasperation was the fact that he had to be in _this _town to witness the marriage. Pick any other location in the United States and he would be there without hesitation, but this particular town caused much reluctance on his part. For now he would be dealing with the town inmates (as he liked to think of them) for the next week until the big day. All of their scornful looks and snide comments were sure to have built up for the last four years and now he was back to properly receive them. Wonderful.

Jess drove into town slowly, not wanting to rush the begrudged arrival. It was late, at least by Stars Hollow time, and he hoped the townspeople were locked away for the night. He knew as soon as he was spotted by one of the citizens, the whole town would know of his coming. He wasn't quite ready to face the inevitable just yet. He hoped that his new car would initially throw them off to the owner's identity, but he had to face facts. In a town this small, you could only hide for so long.

Approaching the town square, Jess' eyes were drawn to a huge, neon banner.

"Welcome Home Rory!"

Underneath it the entire town was gathered in a huge celebration. The theme must have been traveling for there were decorations to fit dozens of different countries. There was a Coliseum that was made out of some kind of rainbow colored clay, an ice sculpture of Big Ben, and a half eaten cake that appeared to have been the Taj Mahal. Jess also noticed a table that held a heap of Popsicle sticks. That one he couldn't figure out.

He remained at the safe distance, scanning the crowd. Miss Patty and Babette were occupying the karaoke stage, belting out a song from the 80's that was being played by Lane and her band.

Kirk was at the center of the dance floor, breaking dancing as only Kirk can. Lulu was close by watching her boyfriend.

Sookie and Jackson were by the buffet table, tending to their three fussing children.

Luke and Taylor were in an argument about who knows what. Luke's arms were flailing and Taylor kept taking small steps back to avoid getting hit, though still looking stern. Jess smiled at the familiar scene.

The smile faded a little as his eyes finally found the one he was seeking. Rory Gilmore.

She was with Lorelai of course sitting in the brightly lit gazebo. She had a plastic princess crown on her head and was laughing at something her mother said.

Jess' heart gave a little lurch at the sight of her smile, and he remembered the last reason he hadn't wanted to come back.

He was still in love with the girl who had been over him for six years.

Sighing, Jess pulled his car around to Luke's Diner, avoiding the party at all costs. He shut the car off and sat in the relative silence for a moment, trying to draw strength from it. All he had to do was be polite, do his best man duties, and then he'd be free to go back to Philly. Far away from this town and all of its memories.

Grabbing his duffel bag, Jess entered the dark diner and proceeded upstairs. Walking into the apartment, he saw that it hadn't changed. The familiarity was comforting to him, and he walked over to his side of the room to dump his bag on the bed.

Even from inside the apartment he could still feel the music pulsing through the night air. Going over to the fridge, he tried not to think of Rory, but it proved difficult. Ever since the moment Luke had asked Jess to be his best man three months ago, Rory had consumed his thoughts. He had known she would be there because she would never miss this event in her mother's life. He was certain she was the maid of honor, though he had never had the courage to ask Luke.

Jess popped open the can of soda in his hand and took a drink to distract himself. But as usual, his mind began to drift back to his and Rory's last encounter only a year ago…

_Jess could hardly believe his eyes. She had actually sought him out this time. She was standing there, smiling at him in the book store he worked at. He tried to bat down the hopeful feeling in his chest, but it was a lost battle._

_After the place emptied out, Jess spotted Rory reading in a corner of the book store. He sat down next to her and after a few words, took the plunge._

_She started to kiss him back, and then stopped abruptly. She said something about Logan. She was still with him. She loved him._

_Jess was angry, but mostly at himself. He'd let himself get carried away, same as always…_

The apartment door burst open.

"A proper permit? I'll show him where to put the proper permit!" Luke was raging. He stopped short upon seeing Jess.

"Jess," he said, surprised.

"Hey," Jess replied, cocking an eyebrow at his uncle. "Taylor?"

Luke seemed to remember his annoyance. "What do you think? He wants to see the permit for the tent! That guy is a piece of work…" he trailed off irritably. Just as quick, he shook it off. "I didn't know you'd be coming today," he said.

Jess shrugged. "I figured you'd need help with the diner for the next few weeks. I was gonna offer to keep an eye on things while you were prepping for the wedding and on your honeymoon."

The corner of Luke's mouth twitched up. "You turning all soft on me now?"

Jess scoffed. "Don't count on it. I just figured you would like a wedding present that was actually useful," he replied. "Unless you want me to go out and buy you a 'Kiss the Cook' apron? I'm sure Lorelai would get a big kick out of it, if she hasn't thought of it herself already. With her being your wife now, she'd probably force you to wear it at the diner." Jess' grin widened at the look of horror on his uncle's face. "You know," he continued, "I think that's a great idea. I'll be right back…"

Jess went over to his bed and grabbed his car keys.

"No, no, no!" Luke exclaimed, hurrying towards him. "Watching the diner sounds great."

Jess snickered and replaced his keys. "Alright, if you insist…"

"I do," Luke hurried to reply.

The two shared a smile, and then Luke pulled Jess into a hug. Jess hugged back the man who had always been like a father to him.

"You prepared to say those same words this weekend?" Jess asked, pulling back.

Luke smiled at him. "You know, Jess," he said, completely confident, "I am."

Jess was genuinely happy to see Luke so contented. "Good." He just tried to ignore the strange ache in his chest that spoke of his own unhappiness.

Suddenly Luke seemed to grow cautious. "So, you, uh, saw the party out there, huh?" he asked carefully.

"Yep."

"You plan on putting in an appearance?"

"Nope."

Luke nodded without saying anything for a moment.

"You want me to tell her you're here?" he asked quietly.

Back in his teenage years, Jess would've played dumb and asked who Luke was referring to. Now, however, he knew that Luke knew him better than that. It would be pointless to deny what they both knew to be true.

"Nah," Jess answered with a shrug. "Let her enjoy her night."

Luke studied his nephew for a moment, and then nodded. "Okay." He paused awkwardly. "Do you want me to hang around here with you?"

Jess smirked at Luke's attempt at being parental. "Tempting," he said sarcastically, "but I think your fiancée will be wondering where you're at."

"Yeah, you're probably right," he said, heading for the door. "You sure you're okay up here?"

"Yes, Uncle Luke," Jess said mockingly.

Luke opened the door to leave, sending a glare at him. Before shutting the door behind him, he looked back in.

"It's good to have you back, Jess," he said.

Jess crooked a smile at him as he closed the door.

Maybe things didn't have to be so bad after all, he thought, smiling to himself. After all, he'd loved to see Taylor's face when Luke showed back up without the permit.


	3. Chapter 3: The Dog Days of Spring

**Thank you all so so much for the reviews! I couldn't believe it! This is my first FanFic so I was nervous about how it would take. Thanks!!! ^.^**

Chapter Three: The Dog Days of Spring

Something cold and wet nudged her cheek.

Jolting awake, Rory jerked upright to find Paul Anka staring up at her. Exhaling heavily, she tried to calm her racing heart. She wiped her hand across the cheek where his nose had been moments before.

_How did he get in here?_ Rory wondered, looking from the shaggy dog to her closed bedroom door. She shuddered. Something about that dog just wasn't normal.

"What do you want?" she asked groggily, glancing at the clock. It was 5:43 a.m. Rory groaned. "Whatever it is, it can wait," she mumbled, slumping back into her bed.

Paul Anka let out a prolonged whine. Rory peered at him irritably. He now had his food bowl between his teeth.

"Later," she grumbled. "For instance, when the sun is actually up."

The dog barked rather loudly in her ear.

Rory dragged her pillow over her head. "What will it take to make you go away?" she moaned.

He barked again.

Sighing heavily, Rory hauled herself out of bed. "Fine, you win this round," she muttered, "but don't get used to it. Just because I told Mom I would watch you when she and Luke go on their honeymoon next week, doesn't mean that you'll be doing this to me every morning. That's not what I signed up for, mister."

Paul Anka followed close behind as Rory walked into the kitchen. She aimlessly began searching through cupboards and drawers, looking for a trace of dog food. After ten minutes of milling about, she came up with nothing.

"Come on, help me out here," she said impatiently to the dog. "Can't you sniff it out or something?"

Paul Anka just gave her a blank stare.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" she accused. Rory took a deep breath. _And now you're talking to a dog. Great._

No longer able to put up with the canine's staring, Rory marched up the stairs and into her mother's room. Lorelai and Luke were both sound asleep. Envy making her bitter, Rory unceremoniously shook her mother awake.

"What?" Lorelai griped, immediately crabby.

"Your dog won't leave me alone!" Rory hissed. As much as she was annoyed at her mom, she didn't want to wake Luke up.

"Well, how's that my problem?" she wanted to know.

"He's your dog!"

Lorelai sighed. "What's he want?"

"Food, which apparently you don't have," Rory informed her. "I'm tempted to inform the authorities on your mistreatment of animals."

"Of course we have food for Paul Anka," Lorelai said crossly, her eyes barely remaining open.

"Do you mind informing me of its whereabouts?" Rory replied. "Because unless I'm mistaken, there isn't any in this house!"

"You're right, it's not."

"What?"

Lorelai huffed out a breath. "Obviously you've never cared for an animal before," she said, pulling the covers more tightly around her shoulders. "Paul Anka won't eat his food if it's in the house. He thinks that it's old and it's been getting stale."

"Okay…?" Rory drawled out, wondering how her mother could possibly go to such lengths.

"_So_, we keep the food at Luke's place so whenever we need to fill his dish, we bring just enough here so it has the appearance of being fresh from the store."

_You've got to be kidding me…_

"And did you happen to bring home some _fresh_ dog food recently?"

Lorelai was drifting back to sleep.

"Mom!" Rory snapped quietly. "When was the last time you fed Paul Anka?"

"I don't know," Lorelai grumbled. "I think it was the day you came home."

"So you didn't feed him at all yesterday?" Rory asked incredulously.

"You were home!" Lorelai sleepily defended herself. "You distracted me!"

"So this is my fault?"

"Yes, now be a good daughter and leave mommy alone," she said, rolling over to face the other direction.

_Unbelievable._

Suppressing the urge to scream in frustration, Rory exited her mother's bedroom. As she entered the kitchen once more, Paul Anka was still sitting there, as if awaiting her arrival. Looking at the glowing numbers on the stove, Rory saw that it was just now six o'clock.

Knowing that Luke didn't leave for the diner for another forty-five minutes, Rory grudgingly decided to just go and get the food herself. She wouldn't be able to get back to sleep now anyways.

Stomping into her room, she threw a hoodie on over her camisole and slipped into a pair of tennis shoes. Walking back into the kitchen, she glared at the scruffy dog.

"I hope you're pleased with yourself," she muttered.

Paul Anka let out a little bark as if to say he was.

Rolling her eyes, Rory stepped out the back door and into the cool morning air.

It was early May. Lorelai was going to get her perfect spring wedding. Feeling refreshed by the brisk air, Rory smiled. She was so thrilled for her mom. She deserved all of this and more. She and Luke were perfect for each other, and Rory was delighted that they were finally getting married. It seemed like the entire town had been waiting for this since the first time Luke filled Lorelai's coffee cup.

Stuffing her hands into the pocket of her hoodie, Rory looked up at the first signs of the sunrise. The eastern sky held a slight tinge of pink and orange.

Thinking of the upcoming wedding automatically led her thoughts to a subject she had been trying to avoid.

Jess Mariano.

She knew that she would inevitably run into her ex at the wedding. He was, after all, the best man. She just wasn't sure if she was ready for the encounter.

Things were so different now. The past two times she had seen Jess she had been with Logan. Logan had more or less been her excuse to not let her mind drift too far when it came to Jess. Now that Logan was no longer part of the equation, she wasn't sure how she would fair around Jess.

"_I don't deserve this, Rory."_

The words full of hurt had echoed in her mind for a year. Even now, her heart clenched at the memory. She hated herself for the pain she had caused him. It would've been one thing if Jess had started to kiss her that night, and she would've immediately pulled away. But she hadn't. She had let him. She even kissed him back.

At the time, she told herself that she had allowed him to kiss her because she wanted to cheat on Logan like he had cheated on her. Hindsight, however, was twenty-twenty and she knew the truth.

She had missed him. She had kissed him because she had fiercely wanted to. To cover up her own confusion, she had gone with the less complicated answer and went back to Logan. It had taken the blunt offer of marriage to finally make Rory think.

She wasn't in love with Logan. She was comfortable with him, and truly did care for him, but it wasn't the real deal.

Rory wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly chilled at her reminiscence. She thought back to the pro/con list she had made after Logan's proposal. Engraved in her retinas was the one con that had made all the difference:

_He's not Jess…_

She wouldn't blame Jess if he didn't talk to her at the wedding. She deserved that. She deserved worse than that.

Approaching Luke's, Rory shook away the painful thoughts. This week was about her mother. She would push away all of her selfishness until Lorelai and Luke were on the plane ride to Florida. From there, they were taking a two-week cruise. Rory could use those two weeks to mope, but not this one. This one was reserved for Lorelai Victoria Gilmore and the happiest day of her life.

Rory reached under the Welcome mat and pulled out the spare key. Unlocking the door to the diner, she stepped inside. The scent of freshly ground coffee lingered in the air. The thought that in a mere hour she could have a large cup of the world's best coffee was comforting and lifted Rory's spirits. Maneuvering through the tables, Rory reached the curtain and ascended up the stairs.

Not noticing the light that could be seen from inside the apartment, Rory reached out and opened the door that was never locked. She froze instantly in the doorway, every coherent thought leaving her body.

"Jess…"

**DOM DOM DOM!!! lol. Cliffhanger!! Hope everyone enjoyed! Reviews are much appreciated!!**


	4. Chapter 4: Ghosts

**Thank you all so much for the reviews!! It's so encouraging! And thank you Vera Cobb for mentioning my little slip up! I didn't think of that. I will fix it asap though! Again, thank you thank you thank you! Enjoy!! ^.^**

Chapter Four: Ghosts

The shrill scream of the alarm clock reverberated through the small apartment. Jess smacked his hand down on the snooze button, annoyed that it was going off already.

The party the night before had lasted well into the wee hours of the morning and he hadn't been able to get to sleep until the gathering had finally disbanded. He glared at the clock through one eye. It was quarter til six.

Jess rolled onto his other side with a grunt. He had barely gotten four hours of sleep.

For a moment he debated just staying in bed and letting Luke handle the diner for the day. But even though the thought of hiding in the apartment and away from the Stars Hollow citizens was considerably appealing, he had promised Luke to help. He didn't want his first act towards his uncle to be breaking his word.

With a reluctant sigh, Jess rolled out of bed and headed toward the bathroom. After a hot shower, he pulled on a pair of jeans and was crossing the apartment when he heard the door open. Figuring it was Luke, though he wondered why he was so early, Jess glanced at the door.

Rory Gilmore was standing there, looking like she had just seen a ghost.

Caught completely off-guard, Jess halted in his tracks. In all of his visions of how they might meet up again, he had been confident and in control. Now, however, he couldn't even think straight. All he could do was stare.

She looked just as beautiful as ever. Even in a Yale hoodie and pajama bottoms, she was a sight for sore eyes. Her long, brown hair was slightly tousled from sleep and her electric blue eyes were boring into his. Her delicate mouth was in the shape of a small "o" and surprise was written all over her face. He had to fight the very strong urge to cross the distance between them. He hadn't realized how acutely he had missed her until now.

"I—I didn't know you were back," Rory fumbled out. He watched as her cheeks flamed and she averted her eyes. Glancing down at his shirtless chest, Jess couldn't stop the smile that came to his lips.

"Got in last night," he replied, continuing the course to his dresser. He was surprised by how completely normal he sounded.

"Oh," she stammered, still not looking directly at him. "Are you still living in Philadelphia?"

"Yep," he answered.

"That's good," she replied, glancing at him for a moment, and then quickly looking away. "So, you've been good?"

"Yeah," he replied, amused at how awkward she looked. He took out a t-shirt. "You?"

"Yeah," she echoed. There was a beat of silence.

"Just out of curiosity," he said, pulling the shirt on over his head. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh!" she replied, as if she had momentarily forgotten. "I, uh, need to get Paul Anka's dog food."

Jess quirked an eyebrow at her. "Your mom's dog?"

"Yeah, he, uh, doesn't like his food to be in the house," she explained, confusing him further. "He thinks it's old or something…" Rory trailed off.

"Huh."

Rory laughed a little self-consciously at his puzzled expression.

"The dog is my mother incarnate," she shrugged, obviously not seeing the logic behind it either.

"That explains things," he commented wryly.

Rory smiled at him, a stunning sight. He smiled back.

Snapping himself out of his drifting thoughts, he walked toward the kitchen. "Do you have any idea where this mystery dog food might be located?"

He heard the apartment door close.

"Actually, no," she admitted, taking a few steps deeper into the room. "I would've asked my mom had she been conscious. I barely got this much out of her before she passed out."

Pulling a bottle of water out of the fridge, Jess offered Rory one. She declined, sitting down at the kitchen table. There was a short, very awkward silence. Jess couldn't help but think about the time when they had first officially started dating. He had been a nervous wreck and their first few conversations had been full of awkward silences. He smiled at the memory.

"So, that was some shin-dig you had going last night," he commented, sitting down across from her.

Rory laughed. "Yeah, my mom went a little over the top if you ask me."

Jess smirked. "Nah," he replied sarcastically. "So why the traveling theme?"

"Well, during the past year I've been all over the place for most of my articles. Mostly following the campaign and then a few other stories here and there. I've been to quite a few states and a few different countries, so my mom thought it was appropriate," she said.

Jess nodded thoughtfully. "You're really living out your dream," he observed quietly.

Rory smiled genuinely. "I really am."

The suddenly serious mood in the air unnerved him, so Jess switched gears.

"You know, most of the decorations I could figure out; the Taj Mahal, Big Ben, the Coliseum, but there was one I couldn't," he told her. "What was that pile of sticks supposed to be?"

Rory laughed. "Well, it _was _the Eiffel Tower, but there was a little mishap when Sookie's kids got too close…" she alluded.

"Ah."

"You should've seen Kirk's face. It had taken him three days to make that."

"I'm sorry I missed out," he grinned, able to picture it so well.

Rory frowned pensively, her brow creasing.

"Why didn't you come out?" she asked. It wasn't demanding, just curious.

Jess shrugged, feeling a little uncomfortable. "In case you've forgotten, town events aren't really my thing."

Rory gave him a half hearted smile. Her gaze moved to stare at the table where her finger traced tiny circles. Her expression was troubled.

Concern tugged at Jess. Had he said something wrong?

"What's wrong?" he asked gently, not wanting to push her.

Rory took a slow breath, looking away. She lifted a shoulder feebly.

"You're being nice," she murmured.

"What?" Now he was just confused. Being nice to her was wrong?

"You're being nice," she repeated, her eyes returning to meet his. "I was horrible to you the last time we met and yet you're still being nice to me…"

"Oh."

Jess didn't want to think about the last time they met. He thought about it too often already.

"I told you it was okay," he said quietly, glancing away.

"I know you did," she replied earnestly. "But I just have to tell you how sorry I am. It was stupid of me to go there and I feel terrible about what happened."

"Rory, it's been a year," he reminded her, not enjoying the trip down memory lane.

"I know," she sighed. "I just don't want things to be awkward between us. I want us to be friends," she said softly.

_Friends._ He would want that too if he was a reasonable person. But he wasn't a reasonable person. He selfishly wanted so much more.

"We are friends," he said with a half smile. "See this?" He motioned his hand between them. "You, me, sitting down and talking? That's what friends do, right?"

Rory shrugged helplessly. "I guess…"

"Rory, it's really okay," he assured her. "I'm over it."

Rory met his eyes. She looked so distressed; Jess could almost feel her pain. "Are you sure it's okay?" she asked doubtfully.

Jess chuckled a little. "Yes!" he declared in mock exasperation.

Rory smiled a little, looking somewhat relieved.

"Okay, good." She reached out and lightly touched his arm. "I want you to be in my life," she said, smiling sweetly. "For some reason, you've grown on me, Jess Mariano."

"Hm, isn't that something," he said jokingly.

He stood up from the table.

"How's about we find this enigmatic dog food?" he suggested.

Rory smiled and stood up as well. After five minutes of searching, Jess found the bag in the cabinet under the sink. A few more words were exchanged and then Rory left, the dog food in her hand.

After she had gone, the smile on Jess' face diminished.

What was he thinking coming back here? Did he honestly think he was going to be able to act casually around Rory for an entire week? Especially when a meaningless touch on the arm made his blood turn to fire in his veins? It would be a miracle if he could manage to keep his hands to himself…

Jess dragged a hand over his face wearily. He had signed up for trouble by coming back here.

Checking the clock, he saw that he had a few minutes before Luke would arrive. Taking a fortifying breath, he decided to go downstairs and get the coffee going. This week he was going to need all the distractions he could get…

**Well, they two have officially met up again. I hope you all enjoyed! It was difficult writing this segment for some reason, but I think overall it turned out okay. Review please!!**


	5. Chapter 5: Reflections

**Again, thank you all for the reviews! I'm becoming addicted to getting them! lol. Enjoy!! ^.^**

Chapter Five: Reflections

Flustered and panicked.

If Rory had to describe her initial reaction to the unexpected encounter with Jess, those adjectives would barely scratch the surface.

As she walked back to her house, she could hardly form a rational thought. She hadn't been properly prepared. She had anticipated some kind of warning before she would have to face him again. Never did she conjure up this possibility.

Rory couldn't help but picture Jess shirtless again. She felt the heat creep up her neck just at the thought. She had never once seen him without a shirt, not even when they were dating. She would be lying to say that she had never imagined it, but now she saw how completely inferior her fantasy had been compared to the real thing…

Rory shook her head, trying to clear away the dangerous thoughts, but it was useless to deny the feelings that the mere sight of him had aroused within her. She had felt like the shy seventeen year old all over again. Her heart had nearly hammered out of her chest.

_Get a grip,_ she chastised herself angrily. _You're a twenty-three year old grown woman! Stop dwelling on it!_

The words held no weight however. She found her thoughts drifting back to the meeting, analyzing every second.

He had said he was good. He looked good. His hair was a little shorter than the last time she'd seen him and as unkempt as ever. She tried not to think about the way her fingers had itched, remembering the feel of the thick, dark locks.

His familiar chocolate brown eyes had held an equal amount of surprise upon first seeing her, but he had recovered much quicker than she had. He'd seemed completely at ease while she on the other hand was a total wreck.

Once they got to talking, however, she'd felt herself relax. She'd forgotten how easy it was to talk to Jess. How good it felt to laugh and joke with him. She hadn't realized how much she had utterly missed his presence in her life. Especially after the appearance of his crooked smile.

Suddenly she had started remembering all of the painful memories as well. She had tried to keep her expression blank, but Jess knew her better than that.

Before she knew it, she was apologizing and bringing up things that she was sure neither of them wanted to think about. He had been as gracious as ever, telling her not to worry about it. He had probably thought that she was just taking pity on him, but she _needed_ to seek forgiveness. He would never understand the burden that she was still carrying from that night. She had ruined everything good they had going and possibly all they could've had in the future.

She'd heard herself tell him that she wanted to be friends.

_Friends._

For some reason the word left a bitter taste in her mouth. She had spoken the truth when she had told Jess that she wanted him in her life, but something in the pit of her stomach warred against the word. She didn't want to dwell on what that might mean.

_It doesn't matter anyways,_ she thought decisively. It was like Jess had said. It had happened a year ago and he was over it.

Was she?

The question popped into her head unchecked and Rory's feet slowly came to a stop.

Well, was she?

After thinking through the whole conversation, Rory came to a decision.

_Yes,_ she thought with certainty. _I'm over it too._

Feeling a little more in control of things, Rory continued her journey and was soon home again. Paul Anka was waiting for her as soon as she walked in the door, his food dish poised in his mouth.

"Yes, okay? I got it," she said, though not as irritably as before. She would save all of that for her wonderful, endearing mother.

As she filled Paul Anka's bowl (she only brought enough back for the day of course), Luke walked into the kitchen. Dressed in his usual plaid shirt and backwards blue cap, he looked curiously at Rory.

"What are you doing up so early?" he asked, checking his watch to be sure. "You and your mom aren't due for another few hours."

Rory motioned to the dog, who wasn't even touching his food.

"He woke me up," she explained. "Apparently he hadn't been fed for over twenty-four hours."

Luke didn't look surprised.

"It's not the first time," he commented dryly. "I don't understand why your mom won't bring the dog food here."

"He likes it to be fresh," Rory replied, repeating the insane reason Lorelai had given her.

Luke motioned to Paul Anka's untouched dog dish.

"Clearly."

Rory smiled at Luke's exasperation. Having him around permanently was going to be fun.

"Wait a sec," Luke said, seeming to mentally rewind the conversation. "If you went to get the food then you saw…"

Rory felt herself flush a little.

"Yeah," she replied, answering the unfinished question. "I saw him."

Luke appeared uncomfortable. "And is everything…?"

Rory's mouth quirked up, finding humor in his uneasiness. "Everything's fine, Luke," she assured him. "Don't worry; we're friends." There was that word again.

Luke looked immensely relieved. "Good, good. That's good," he said.

"Yeah, good," she agreed.

After a pause, Luke motioned towards the door. "Well, I'd better get going. Gotta open the diner."

"Okay."

"So I guess I'll see you and your mom in a couple hours?"

"We'll be there," she said.

Luke lifted his hand in a wave and left the house. Rory let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. Talk about awkward…

Stifling a yawn, Rory glanced down to the tiled floor. Paul Anka was no where to be seen and the food bowl was entirely empty.

Something about that dog just wasn't normal.

Debating whether to remain peeved with her mom or not, Rory decided to be the bigger person. It usually worked out that way, and right now, she needed someone to talk to.

Quietly opening the bedroom door, Rory peeked in. Lorelai was in the same position that Rory left her in, sleeping soundly. This time, Rory entered the room and crawled into bed with her mom.

Lorelai stirred and opened an eye to look at her daughter.

"I had the strangest dream," she mumbled, lifting the covers so Rory could slide in beside her. "Someone came into my room and was demanding a bunch of information about Paul Anka."

"Mom, that was me. It really happened," Rory told her, smiling at her delirious mother.

"Oh," Lorelai replied. "I was wondering why it was so realistic…"

Rory felt her throat tighten as she tried to find the right words. She needed to tell someone who would understand.

"Mom?"

"Hm?" she replied, opening her eyes lazily.

"Jess is back," she whispered.

Lorelai was immediately awake at the statement. She rose up, propping herself up on one elbow and examining her daughter's detached expression.

"I ran into him this morning," Rory continued, striving to remain nonchalant. "At the diner."

"Wow," Lorelai blinked, taking it in. "Okay. So, you talked to him?"

"Yeah, we talked," she confirmed, playing with the corner of the pillowcase.

"Was it weird?" her mom asked, cringing sympathetically.

"A little," she admitted with a shrug. Lorelai knew about everything that had taken place in Philadelphia. "But, I mean, I think everything's gonna be okay now," she said, looking up at Lorelai.

Lorelai reached out and rubbed Rory's arm affectionately. "And you're okay? About everything?"

Rory thought for a second. "Yeah," she answered. "I'm okay."

Lorelai smiled. "Good."

Soon after, the two got up, showered, dressed and went to Luke's for breakfast. Babette and Miss Patty were already there, gossiping about the fact that Jess was back in town. Some of the other regulars were there as well.

"Coffee!" Lorelai exclaimed as she approached the counter Luke was standing behind. Rory seated herself at a table. "After last night, I'm gonna have to double my intake to make up for lost sleep."

"Because that will do the trick," Luke said sarcastically.

"That, and your pledge of undying love for me," Lorelai answered, batting her eye lashes.

Luke poured her a cup of coffee and she thanked him with a kiss over the counter. Rory tried to beat down the swirl of envy at the display of love. She sighed inwardly. Her mom was a lucky woman.

At that moment, Jess walked out from the back with Babette and Miss Patty's breakfast plates. The women's conversation came to an obvious halt as he set down the plates.

Shaking his head ever so slightly, Jess caught Rory's eye and gave her an ironic smile.

Rory shrugged at his misfortune and grinned back.

As he continued working, Rory could no longer ignore the erratic fluttering of her pulse.

She wasn't okay. She wasn't okay at all…

**Well, Rory has finally admitted that she's not completely uneffected by the irresistable Jess =P Stayed tuned for more!! Reviews are amazing!!**


	6. Chapter 6: Reactions

**Thank you all for reviewing! I hope you enjoy!! :)**

Chapter Six: Reactions

The week went by faster than Jess had anticipated. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on the perspective), he'd had little to no one-on-one time with Rory. She of course was spending every waking moment with her mom and he was busy with the diner. He only talked to her whenever the two Gilmores came to be fed, and even that was brief.

Although he desperately wanted more time to spend with her, he figured it was for the best. The last thing he needed was to get more attached. The wedding was set for Saturday, tomorrow, and the rehearsal dinner was tonight. After the wedding, Rory would be off for wherever the paper had her located now, and he would be stuck in Stars Hollow for the next two weeks.

The thought of the wedding had started to become a sore spot with Jess. He realized that more likely than not, _he_ would be there with her. After all, if something was a big deal for Rory, wouldn't her _boyfriend _want to be there as well?

Just the thought of that Logan jerk set Jess' teeth on edge. He didn't like the guy at all. He was a rich, daddy's boy who expected everyone to bow in his presence. The stereotypical kid born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Whereas Jess was born with no father around and had to work for every dime he ever had.

Jess unclenched his fists, struggling to calm down. He reluctantly admitted to himself that the main reason he hated Logan was because he had Rory, and Jess did not.

It was around three in the afternoon and the diner was empty. Everyone was out helping with last minute wedding prep. He could see Sookie and the decorators out in the town square setting up tables, tents, flower arrangements, ribbons and the works for the wedding reception.

Jess smirked as he watched Sookie start shaking her head for the hundredth time. All of the workers stopped, slumping their shoulders resignedly as Sookie began motioning for the tables to be put back the way they had been two times before. Jess wondered how long this would go on. It was better than cable.

The commotion outside distracting him, Jess was startled as the bell rang and someone entered the diner.

Rory grinned, obviously having witnessed him jump.

"Did I scare you?" she asked playfully, closing the door behind her.

Jess scoffed. "No," he denied, annoyed that she had.

"Huh, I could've sworn I saw you jump about a mile off the ground a second ago," she continued to tease, seating herself at the counter.

"Well, you've always had a wild imagination," he remarked. Wanting to get away from the embarrassing topic, he asked, "Where's your mom?"

Rory smiled slyly, knowing what he was doing, yet willing to play along.

"At the gym."

Jess' eyebrows shot up, shocked. "Since when do Gilmores feel the need to exercise?" he asked incredulously.

"Since she apparently had a dream of the Michelin Man wearing her wedding dress," she answered, laughing. "She interpreted it as a sign that she had gained too much weight within the last week since her final dress fitting. I suggested she just go and try it on to prove that it would fit, but she would hear nothing of it. Instead, she was off to the gym."

Jess smirked. "And why aren't you at the gym alongside your mother?"

Rory gave him a doubtful look. "She may be insane, but I, however, know where I do and do not belong. So, I decided I'd better have some coffee ready for whenever she comes to her senses."

"A wise idea," he agreed.

Rory looked around the place. "Where's Luke?"

Jess grimaced. "Apparently there were some problems with the ring."

Rory gasped, alarmed. "What happened?"

"It came in last night like it was supposed to, only it had the name Dolores Michaels engraved on it and was a size twelve," he explained.

"Oh no!" Rory cried, aghast. "Is Luke getting everything sorted out today?"

"Yeah. You should've heard him when he saw it," Jess said, shaking his head and grinning at the memory of it. "Quite a colorful vocabulary Uncle Luke has when he's angry."

Rory winced. "I pity the person who screwed it up."

Jess laughed. "I pity anyone working in that store today."

"I hope they can get everything sorted out by tomorrow," she murmured thoughtfully. "You kind of need the ring for the wedding ceremony."

"Tradition does call for it," he put in, coming around the counter and sitting on the stool next to her's.

They fell into a comfortable silence.

"You got your best man's speech ready?" she asked.

Jess groaned, not wanting to think about the scrap piece of paper upstairs with nearly every sentence crossed off. "You'd think after writing a book, I'd be able to handle a little speech," he told her.

Rory smiled sympathetically.

"Let me guess," he said wryly. "You've had your speech ready since the day they got engaged?"

Rory's face reddened, giving away the answer. "Well, not _that_ day," she defended herself meekly.

Jess just smiled at her. His mind drifted back to the speech. It really did trouble him that he couldn't think of what to say. After everything Luke had done for him, he'd think he would be able to come up with _something_ nice to say…

"Hey," Rory said gently, as if sensing his distress. She nudged his arm encouragingly. "Don't worry. You'll think of something."

He gave her a half hearted smile. "I hope so…"

"Just say what's on your heart," she said, making it sound so simple.

"Rory, it's not that easy," he said.

"Sure it is," she disagreed.

Jess sighed. "Maybe for you," he consented. "But I'm not exactly good at saying a bunch of mushy, heartfelt stuff."

"Try it," she said.

Jess smirked at her. _That _wasn't going to happen.

"Come on," she repeated, growing exasperated. "Just tell me what you want to say about Luke. What you're grateful for, annoyed with, etc," she listed off.

"Thanks, Dr. Phil, but no thanks," he mocked.

"Jess," she said sternly. "Come on. Do you really want to stand up at your uncle's wedding, the man who took you in and raised you to the best of his ability, and say 'You finally got hitched' then sit down? No gratitude, no congratulations, no nothing?"

Jess sighed heavily. "Alright, fine," he mumbled.

A look of satisfaction crossed Rory's face. "Good," she replied, obviously pleased. "Now what would you say to Luke?"

Jess dragged a hand through his hair. She was impossible sometimes…

"Well," he began uncomfortably. "I guess I'd say that it was good of him to take me in when I was seventeen. He didn't have to and he didn't know anything about kids, but he did it anyways."

Rory nodded encouragingly.

"He helped me in the best way he could; he cracked down on me," he continued, smiling at the memories. "Made me quit smoking, go to school, get a job. I was pretty impossible to deal with back then, and he put up a heck of a fight."

Jess paused. "Even when I continually screwed up, he was always on my side. Even when I didn't deserve it, he would welcome me back. When I was in trouble, he did everything in his power to help."

He paused again. "On my birth certificate, the 'Name of Father' might say Jimmy Mariano, but Luke Danes has been more of a father to me than he'll ever be…"

After a moment, Jess looked up at Rory. She was looking at him tenderly, knowing that it had taken a lot for him to say all that. She grasped his hand.

"Jess, that was beautiful," she told him softly.

Jess smirked, unable to stop the automatic embarrassment from rising. "Now if only I could get that down on paper," he said lightly, ready to move on.

Rory released his hand, her smile broadening. She held up a tape recorder.

"Journalism 101," she said. "Never leave home without it." She offered it to him.

Jess laughed a little, taking the device from her hand. "Wow." He looked up at her, smiling gratefully. "Thanks, Rory," he said quietly.

Rory returned the smile. "You're welcome, Jess."

Suddenly Jess was seized with the strongest urge to kiss her. This was the closest they had physically been in so long that it was difficult to fight the desire. She looked so beautiful in her simple t-shirt and jeans with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her vibrant blue eyes were striking in the afternoon sunlight and her lips were curved into a perfect smile.

Rory's pager went off, breaking the spell. She took it out and smiled.

"Mom," she explained. "She came back to reality quicker than I'd thought she would."

"Huh," Jess replied, standing up and walking behind the counter, far away from Rory. He poured the coffee into two Styrofoam cups and after bidding him good-bye, Rory left to meet her mother.

_That was close,_ he thought, both relieved and disappointed at the moment's outcome. He was walking a fine line. He just hoped he could get through the next twenty-four hours without doing anything rash…

**Will Lorelai and Luke finally get married? Will Jess keep his hands to himself? Will Sookie ever decide on the table arrangement? Stay tuned to find out! (And please please review!!!!)**


	7. Chapter 7: Finally Getting Married

**Hey everybody! Sorry it took me so long to finally get this one out! I've been way busy with school. XP From here, the chapters begin to have a different approach. Rory and Jess' perspectives are in one chapter now. I guess it kind of symbolizes them getting more intuned to the other or something ^.^ I hope you enjoy!!!**

Chapter Seven: Finally Getting Married

Rory had to blink back the tears that threatened to fall. She smiled.

"You look beautiful…" she whispered past the catch in her throat.

Lorelai turned away from the floor length mirror to face her daughter, a tender smile gracing her lips.

"Thanks, hun," she said. She took a deep breath, looking blissfully overwhelmed. "I never thought I would ever feel this happy," she told her, pure joy in every feature. "I never thought I would get to experience this."

Rory crossed the room, embracing her mother tightly. Her mom's happiness meant the world to her and it took all her focus to keep her emotions at bay.

"You deserve all of this," Rory told her earnestly.

Rory heard the beginnings of a sniffle from Lorelai and pulled back immediately, wagging a finger in her face.

"No," she said strictly, seeing the glistening of tears in her mother's professionally made-up eyes. "No crying."

Lorelai laughed, blinking away the unwelcome tears. "No crying," she repeated thickly. "Almost forgot."

Rory smiled again, gazing at Lorelai's striking appearance.

Her hair was perfectly curled with a simple, elegant tiara in place. The dress was truly stunning; a strapless bodice with intricate beaded designs that flowed into a full skirt. But what completed the vision was Lorelai's glowing face. She looked like something out of a fairy tale.

"Are you ready?" Rory asked.

Lorelai took a long breath. "I am," she said sincerely. "This feels righter than anything I've ever done in my life."

Rory squeezed her mother's hand. "Good."

Lorelai's heartfelt face turned playful, all signs of tears vanishing.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she said. "You can't expect to ever live up to the stunning image of your creator, but you make a nice second."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks, mom."

"Jealousy's not a good look for you."

"And spite gives you frown lines," she countered.

"Thus man gives you Botox."

"And then you become Pamela Anderson."

Lorelai grimaced. "Ooh, good point."

Rory went to the mirror, applying a touch of gloss to her lips. She adjusted the strap and straightened the skirt of her wine colored dress. The silky material stopped just above her knees and the neckline was low enough to be flattering while still retaining modesty. She saw Lorelai watching her from the corner of her eye. Her mother wore an odd expression.

Rory turned. "What?" she inquired suspiciously.

"Nothing," Lorelai replied.

Rory was unconvinced. It was never 'nothing' with Lorelai Gilmore.

"Right…" she said, not exactly wanting to know what her mother was thinking. She turned back to the mirror.

After a minute of silence, Lorelai spoke.

"So," she began, obviously trying to sound casual. "I'll bet Jess is happy Logan won't be at the wedding."

The make-up brush froze in Rory's hand. She arranged an innocent look on her face as she continued the motion. "Why should he be?" she hedged.

"Well, he hated the guy, right?"

Rory bristled a little, very uncomfortable with the turn in the conversation. "I don't know about _hate…_"

"Well he clearly didn't like him."

"How would you know?"

Lorelai placed a hand on her cocked hip. "Okay, what is with you?"

"Nothing…" Rory denied, trying to shrug it off. Lorelai stared her down. Rory shifted her eyes to the door, wishing she was far away. She absentmindedly began picking at the bouquet on the table.

"You're fiddling!" Lorelai exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger.

"I'm what?"

"Fiddling!"

"As in 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia'?"

"No, as in employing-your-hands-in-pointless-activities! You always fiddle when you're lying!"

Glancing down at her agitated fingers plucking out peddles, Rory immediately halted her hand.

"I do not!" she denied.

"Remember the time I asked you where my green cashmere sweater was and you told me that I had sold it in our last garage sale? Well your hands were going to town brushing off imaginary guilt-lint."

"Guilt-lint?" Rory interrupted. Lorelai continued as if no one had spoken.

"And it was later that same week that I found the sweater in your closet!"

"So maybe I just forgot that I had borrowed it," Rory shrugged unconvincingly.

"Right, well that being the case or not, I don't appreciate my one and only daughter lying to me on my wedding day."

Sighing, Rory spread her hands out in front of her in exasperation. "I just haven't told Jess about me and Logan yet is all," she said in a rush.

Lorelai's hand fell to her side. "Oh, _honey_…"

"What?" she said, prickling defensively.

"Why not?"

"Why have you assumed I have?"

"_Well_…" she trailed off, shrugging.

"Well, what?"

She exhaled, shrugging again. "I thought you and Jess might be a possibility again," she replied.

Rory blinked, startled by the blunt statement. "Oh." She recovered swiftly, looking back at her reflection, careful to avoid Lorelai's probing eyes. "Why would you think that?"

"I'm your mother," Lorelai stated. "Mothers know these things."

"I think your radar's a little askew."

"Rory."

Rory was finally forced to look at her mother. She raised her eyebrows expectantly. "What?"

"I've seen the way you act around him," Lorelai said quietly, "the way you look at him."

"Mom, I've been with you all week," Rory pointed out, ignoring the way her heart was beginning to skitter erratically.

"That may be true, but you always seem to be extra cheerful when we get to Luke's." Rory remained silent. "Is there a reason?"

"Good coffee?" she offered meekly.

"Rory."

"Mom, this is your wedding day," Rory interjected, smothering her panic from the unnerving insight. "Let's not think about me right now. In half an hour you're going to finally become Mrs. Luke Danes. This is _your _day."

"Yeah, yeah," Lorelai rolled her eyes, allowing Rory to change the subject. The two looked at each other for a second before bursting into excited squeals.

The door opened and Sookie came in. Upon seeing Lorelai, her eyes filled with joyful tears.

"Oh, Lorelai," she gushed, fanning at her eyes in a futile attempt to dry her tears. "You look so beautiful."

"Aw thanks, Sookie." Lorelai crossed the room and embraced her long-time friend.

As the two talked, Rory's brow furrowed, her thoughts troubled. All the talk about Jess had brought up memories of the night before at the rehearsal dinner. For some reason, Jess had been more reserved than usual. Sullen, even. She didn't know why. He barely participated in the festivities, and that truly bothered her. Since the day he returned, she'd noticed that he had become surprisingly more conversational, even towards others in the town. Last night, however, something had been wrong. Had she done something?

"Rory!"

Waving her hand wildly, Sookie motioned for Rory to join in on the group hug. The three stood there as Sookie continued to wetly babble out compliments. Finally Lorelai stepped back and grasped her shoulders.

"Sookie, you know I love you, but honey, you're going to make me miss my wedding."

"Oh!" Sookie cried, as if she had completely forgotten about the ceremony. She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. "I came in here to get you two!" She giggled, nudging Lorelai. "You finally ready to get yourself hitched?"

Lorelai grinned. "More than you know."

"Then let's go!"

Grabbing Rory and Lorelai by the hand, Sookie energetically dragged the Gilmores out of the room.

*******************************************************************************************************************

In a chair next to the door, Jess sat back and enjoyed the show. For the past twenty minutes, Luke had used about every name in the book in referral to his tux. Tucking, pulling, yanking and cursing had become the ongoing routine. Oh how he had missed Luke.

"You mind helping me out instead of just sitting around, taking pleasure in all of this?" Luke snapped.

Jess smirked, slouching further in his chair and crossing his arms. "No, keep going," he encouraged with mock seriousness. "I think you're starting to get the hang of it."

"Oh! Aren't you cute?" Luke shouted in irritation. "I'm actually starting to believe that Kirk would have been the better choice for best man. Taylor, even!"

Jess snickered as Luke began fumbling with the bow tie for the hundredth time. Shaking his head as he rose from the chair, Jess took the silky fabric out of Luke's furious hands. As he began to tie the material, he _tsk_ed at his uncle.

"I told you; you should have bought the clip-on."

"Shut up," Luke retorted. Jess grinned.

A few moments later, Jess finished and stepped back. Luke inspected his work in the mirror.

"How'd you learn how to do that anyway?" he asked, the edge in his voice disappearing.

Jess shrugged. "I saw it in a movie once."

"Huh. You're smarter than you look."

"Gee, thanks."

Luke exhaled loudly, tugging at the fitted vest. Jess handed him his suit coat and checked his watch. 4:15.

"You ready for this?"

"If you mean wearing this designer-labeled torture device for another six hours, then sure. Why not?" He sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

Jess clapped him on the shoulder. "Shakespeare ain't got nothing on you," he commented wryly, pushing Luke out the door.

On their way outside, Liz came rushing towards them.

"Oh, my boys!" she squealed, hugging each of them in turn.

"Hey, Liz," Luke greeted her affectionately. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world!" Liz put one hand on Luke's cheek and one on Jess'. "This may be the only time I ever see you two in tuxedos." Jess and Luke shared a smirk. "Unless of course Jess here gets his act together. A wedding is a great way to meet women!"

Jess rolled his eyes. _Here we go again._

"What about Rory? Do you think you two could—?"

"Mom," Jess interrupted quickly. "We're friends, okay?"

She gave an innocent shrug. "I'm only saying—"

"Look, I appreciate the concern and all, but I think I can take care of my love life on my own." _Yeah. Right._

Liz put up her hands in surrender. "Speaking of which," she said, looking around, "where's T.J.?"

Grimacing at the name of his lunatic step-father, Jess smacked Luke on the back. "Good luck with that," he muttered before walking in the opposite direction.

"Hey, Jess!" Luke tried calling him back.

Smirking to himself, he continued on.

As he made his way outside and to the back of the building, the smirk diminished. The gloom that had haunted his steps for two days settled back over him. It was times like these that he wished he hadn't quit smoking.

Leaning his back against the brick wall, he slowly exhaled. Over the past couple of days, he had begun to dread the approaching wedding. He hated to admit it, but the reason was credited to a certain Logan Huntzberger. As pathetic as it was, he hated the idea of Rory being with someone else right in front of him. It would be like rubbing salt in the ever-gaping wound.

Running a hand over his face, he gazed up at the cloudless blue sky. It reminded him of Rory's eyes…

_Get a grip!_ he chastised himself. _Do you really want to look like a moping idiot? _

Jess growled inwardly. He was sure Huntzberger would get a big kick out of that.

Shaking his head, he wished he could shake away the tension just as easily. He didn't like feeling this weak.

Pushing away from the wall, Jess shoved his hands into the pockets of his suit pants. As he walked towards the gardens where the ceremony would take place, his stubborn determination took over. No matter what, he wouldn't let Huntzberger get to him. He would do his duties as best man and be a friend to Rory.

Even if it killed him inside.

**Well I hope this was worth the wait! I think it went pretty well. I know, I know. I can already hear you guys. "GET TO THE WEDDING ALREADY!" right? Well it's next I promise ^.^ Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8: Here Comes the Bride!

**At long last, here is the WEDDING!!! Woo! *fireworks shooting off* Hope you enjoy! I did my best to do a beautiful scene justice.**

Chapter Eight: Here Comes The Bride!

Standing to the side of the large, golden hoopa, Jess discreetly scanned the crowd. The wedding assembly was rather small, mostly composed of the citizens of Stars Hollow. He spotted Lorelai's mother, Emily Gilmore, and tried not to make eye contact. His past run-ins with her weren't exactly Kodak moments.

He saw Rory's dad, Christopher, entertaining his daughter, Gigi. Across the aisle was Michel from the Dragonfly Inn. He was sitting next to the gleefully weepy Sookie along with Jackson and their three kids. The youngest was climbing all over the grouchy Frenchman and he didn't look pleased.

He saw Paris and Doyle, Paris bickering at him about who knew what. His eyes swept by Dean and Lindsey, holding hands contentedly next to her rounded stomach, and Lane and Zach with their twins. He then caught April's eye. Sitting next to her mother, April waved at him energetically and he smiled back. She hadn't wanted a part in the wedding. He could picture the scoff on her face when Luke asked her to be the flower girl. She'd just wanted to sit back and enjoy the show.

As he continued to search the crowd, he came up empty. No Logan.

Jess checked his watch. The ceremony was set to begin at any second. He and Luke were already standing at the front with the town Reverend. If Logan hadn't shown up yet, then that must mean he wasn't coming…

As the violin quartet started playing the opening to Pachelbel's Canon, Jess felt his spirits lift. Catching Luke's eye, Jess mouthed,

"Last chance to run..."

Luke rolled his eyes with a grin and faced the aisle.

Jess grinned back, and as he turned as well, the sight before him stole his breath.

Slowly and gracefully striding down the white aisle runner, Rory Gilmore was an image of beauty. The wine colored dress flattered her petite figure, the material hugging her tiny waist and flowing elegantly around her legs. Her hair was loosely curled and draped over her smooth, bare shoulders. In her delicate hands she held a bouquet of roses that matched her gown. His eyes sought her's and she smiled sweetly at him, a vision that tugged at his heart. He returned the smile, absorbing the scene: Rory walking down the aisle towards him. The thought was bittersweet.

She reached the front and stopped on the opposite side of the intricate archway. Jess couldn't take his eyes off of her. Rory held his gaze for a moment, the corner of her perfect mouth curved up in genuine warmth. He looked her over again, his crooked grin directed at her. Rory smiled and bit her lower lip shyly as color bloomed into her cheeks. She turned towards the aisle as the audience stood and turned their attention to the back of the procession. After taking in her radiant beauty for another moment, Jess also faced the back.

Lorelai, escorted by Richard Gilmore, began her walk down the aisle. Her white train trailing behind her, she was beaming, a smile meant only for Luke. The pure happiness and love in her glowing face shone through the white veil. Turning his glance to Luke, Jess saw the same expression reflected in his uncle's eyes. This was what love truly looked like.

Jess watched as Richard lifted Lorelai's veil, kissing her on the cheek. Lorelai embraced him tightly, then stepped forward to slip her hands into Luke's.

Sweeping his eyes across the crowd, Jess observed the reactions around him. Sookie's face was shimmering with tears and Jackson's arm was around her shoulders. Lindsey leaned into Dean, who pressed his lips to her temple, holding her tight. Lane snaked her arm around Zach's waist, and he squeezed her back. Even Richard and Emily looked at each other, sharing a loving smile.

His gaze slipped to Rory once more. Her attention was fixed on her mother, a tender look in her eyes. He watched as a single tear streaked down her cheek.

Focusing back on the ceremony, he saw Lorelai mouth, _I love you_, to Luke. Her eyes were sparkling with unshed tears.

Never had a wedding service impacted Jess like this. He found himself longing for things that weren't within his reach. He felt a fragile and irrational hope spreading throughout his chest, even though he warned himself about the likely consequences of acting on such feelings.

Suddenly he realized that tonight was his last night with Rory before she was back to her job. She could be across the country by tomorrow afternoon for all he knew. All week he had kept his distance, but he wasn't prepared to say good-bye without taking quite possibly the last chance he would ever have with her. He would never forgive himself…

The music faded away and the Reverend cleared his throat as he began the ritual that would finally bring Luke and Lorelai together.

"We gather here today to witness the union of Lorelai Victoria Gilmore to Luke Danes…"

********************************************************************************************************************

Rory's throat felt swollen from the various emotions streaming through her. Witnessing her mom finally getting married to the love of her life was impacting her powerfully. Lorelai was so visibly happy, that it rubbed off on Rory as well.

Another source contributing to her emotional state was standing not five feet away. Her reaction to seeing Jess was nearly overwhelming. Looking more handsome than ever in his sleek tux, Rory found it hard to shift her gaze away from him. Whenever she caught his eye, a spark coursed through her veins. Her automatic response to his presence was both dangerous and unnerving.

As Lorelai and Luke exchanged their vows, a strong sense of longing generated in the pit of her stomach. Rory was shaken by how badly she wanted to share an experience like this with someone.

_Not just someone…_ a part of her corrected. An unlikely fantasy for the future consumed her thoughts. She batted down the vision before it could develop any further.

"_I'm over it."_

His words echoed through her brain, telling her to be realistic. She had blown her last chance a long time ago.

Rory took a deep breath, pushing away all negative thoughts. She had plenty of time to think in the coming weeks. Right now she was here to partake in the happiest day of her mother's life.

Unconsciously her gaze drifted to Jess again. She was met by his deep brown eyes, and the silent exchange sent a thrill through her nervous system. The way the corner of his mouth twitched up at her had a devastating effect on her heart rate. Oh, boy was she in trouble…

Mentally shaking herself, Rory focused back on the wedding…

"I now pronounce you man and wife," the Reverend declared at long last. "You may kiss the bride."

A cheer rolled through the crowd as the wedding march was played and Luke and Lorelai were finally married. The kiss was beautiful, magical even, as the two embraced. They pulled away, grinning at each other. Lorelai bunched her dress together as they faced the crowd, hands intertwined.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the Reverend continued, "May I have the pleasure of introducing to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Luke Danes." The audience stood, applauding energetically. "And it's about time," he added for good measure.

Luke and Lorelai walked back down the aisle together, and Rory watched with a contented smile.

Warm fingers encircled her upper arm. Lips at her ear whispered,

"It's our turn."

Rory's heart skipped a beat. Surprised, she turned to Jess, confusion wrinkling her brow.

"What?" she breathed out uncertainly.

"To walk down the aisle…?" he reminded her, taking her arm and putting it through his. He led her to the linen covered walkway as the actual meaning to his words sunk in.

Rory felt herself flush in embarrassment at what her initial interpretation had been. Jess grinned at her, a knowing light coming into his eyes.

"What exactly did you think I was implying, Miss Gilmore?" he asked, as they walked by various guests.

Her blush deepened. "Nothing," she answered quickly.

She heard him snicker at her discomfort.

While trying to distract herself from how completely mortified she was, Rory noticed the arm underneath her hand for the first time. She could feel the muscles in Jess' bicep flex as he moved, and that observation did nothing to settle her already flustered mind. What was it about him that set her every nerve ending on fire?

As they passed by Sookie and Jackson, Jess looked from the couple to Rory.

"Do you know what all of this reminds me of?" he said quietly.

Rory glanced at him, catching the coy look in his eyes. Suddenly she knew exactly what he was thinking about.

The beautiful outdoor setting and time of year were parallel to a life-altering event that had happened six years ago. Rory's seventeen-year-old self had taken a leap of faith and kissed Jess for the first time after his unexpected return from New York. That defining moment had marked the beginning of the two's complicated relationship.

"No, what?" she lied, afraid to bring up the past.

"Sookie's wedding," he stated.

Rory's breathing hitched ever so slightly. "Oh yeah?" she answered casually, letting her eyes wonder anywhere but to him.

"Yeah; except I don't think this one will be quite as memorable," he replied, causing her pulse to escalate.

"Why's that?" she inquired as nonchalantly as possible.

"Luke's not wearing a skirt."

Rory breathed out a laugh, relieved that the sensitive topic hadn't been broached after all. Though try as she might, she couldn't deny the ounce of disappointment within her.

Rory and Jess finally made it to the back of the assembly and found Luke and Lorelai there. Ignoring the reluctance she felt, Rory slipped her hand out from under Jess' arm, and continued forward to her mother.

"You did it!" she cheered, hugging Lorelai.

"I did it!" Lorelai echoed. She exhaled sharply, expressing relief. "I didn't think I was going to make it through those vows," she said. A grimace formed. "How bad was it?"

"On a scale of one to ten?" Rory suggested.

"Yeah."

"About a nine and a half."

"That bad?" she moaned.

"Remember Jude Law in _The Holiday_? It was kinda like that."

"Great," Lorelai grumbled. "Now I'll forever be known as the blubbering bride."

"It could be worse," Rory shrugged. "At least you have the alliteration going for you. Plus you looked really pretty."

"Prettier than Jude Law?"

Rory scrunched up her face, as if deep in thought. "I'll get back to you."

The two Gilmores grinned as they embraced once more. Rory looked up at Luke, batting her eyelashes.

"Does this mean I can call you 'Daddy' now?"

"I think 'Luke' will be just fine," he replied, accepting the hug from her.

Guests began making their way over, so Rory stood off to the side with Jess so people could greet the newly weds.

Richard and Emily were the first ones to the receiving line.

"It was a wonderful ceremony, Lorelai," she said, smiling genuinely.

"Thanks, mom," Lorelai replied, hugging her.

"You make a beautiful bride," Richard told her. He looked at Luke, shaking his hand. "You're very lucky."

Luke smiled, his eyes studying Lorelai. "I know I am."

"Come on, guys," Lorelai complained thickly. "Are you _trying_ to get me going again?"

"Alright, alright," Emily declared, "we'll move along."

Emily stopped at Rory next, squeezing her hand.

"You look lovely, Rory," she said.

"Thanks Grandma," Rory replied.

"I fully agree," Richard added, hugging Rory.

Rory glanced at Jess, sensing the awkwardness. More than anything she wanted the tension between her grandparents and Jess to finally be resolved.

"Grandma, Grandpa, you remember Jess," she said, grabbing his arm to bring him forward a few steps. She felt his muscles stiffen underneath her hand, but ignored the opposition.

"Yes, we remember," Emily stated coolly. Rory tried not to let her grimace show. She could tell by the look in her grandmother's eyes that she was remembering the catastrophic dinner that the three of them had shared six years ago. Jess walking into the Gilmore house with a black eye, then storming out after he and Rory got into a huge fight wasn't the first impression Rory had hoped for. Unfortunately, first impressions were imperative with Emily Gilmore.

Jess smiled politely. "It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Gilmore," he said. Amazingly, Rory couldn't detect any sarcasm in his tone. She was pleasantly surprised at how civil he was acting towards a woman who didn't bother hiding her obvious disdain for him. In the past, Jess would have surely replied with some smart-aleck comment, but not now. Standing before her wasn't the kid with a chip on his shoulder anymore. He had grown up.

Her long-time definition of who Jess was slowly began morphing into something completely different. Looking at him from the side, Rory felt a new and strange emotion stir inside her. In it was definitely a stronger respect for him and gratitude for his graciousness towards her grandmother. She couldn't pinpoint the rest...

Glancing back at Emily, Rory saw that her grandmother had been equally surprised at Jess' lack of sarcasm. She had baited him, but he hadn't fallen for it. She quickly collected herself, and inclined her head slightly towards Jess. With the tiniest hint of a smile, she replied,

"Likewise."

Richard reached his hand forward and Jess accepted the gesture.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Richard said, shaking hands.

Jess nodded in reply as Richard ushered Emily past them.

Rory watched them go for a moment, then looked back at Jess. She tilted her side to one side, a small, thoughtful smile on her face.

"What?" Jess asked, seeming uncomfortable under her scrutiny.

Her smile widened as she shook her head. "Nothing."

After another twenty minutes of talking with guests, Lorelai and Luke were showered with rose petals as they made their way to the black limo waiting to take them to the reception. Rory laughed as Lorelai did her best to stuff the never-ending skirt of her dress into the backseat. Finally the task was accomplished, and the driver, Kirk, drove away.

A hand touched her elbow.

Rory turned to Jess, not sure how she knew it would be him.

"Need a lift to the reception?"

"Sure," she replied, accepting the arm he offered her.

When Jess stopped at his car and opened the passenger side door for her, Rory held up her hand.

"Wait," she said, suddenly serious.

Jess cocked an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Is this a good idea?"

Jess wrinkled his forehead, confused.

"After all," Rory continued, "the last time we were in a car together I ended up in a cast."

Jess scoffed, rolling his eyes, as Rory's somber expression broke into a grin.

"Get in the car, Gilmore," he said, walking around to his side of the vehicle.

**Ta da!! There's the wedding for ya! I hope you enjoyed. Stay tuned for the reception. Dom dom dom...**


	9. Chapter 9: A Perfect Reception

***sheepish grin* Well, all I can say is I'm sorry! No, I didn't die and my computer didn't blow up, I just went to college and got busy! Sorry to all my fans! I checked my account for the first time in months last night and your reviews are why I decided to stay up into the wee hours to write this for you! Thank you all for getting me going again! I hope you enjoy!! :]**

Chapter Nine: A Perfect Reception

The town square had undergone a complete transformation. Round tables covered with white, satin tablecloths were adorned with beautiful, crystal candle sticks and sprinkled with rose petals. A single, rectangular table designated for the wedding party was dressed in the same fashion at the head of the design. All of the chairs were clothed in white fabric, a large burgundy bow tied around the back of each one.

In the middle of the arrangement, a dance floor had been put in place next to the platform for the band. Also in the center of the assembly was a small table displaying a towering cake. The five-layered edible masterpiece was embroidered with intricate designs and set on a bed of wine colored roses. The heady scent of flowers mingled in the night air, and the flickering candlelight combined with the lanterns strung up around the square gave an ethereal beauty to the celebration.

Rory marveled at how perfectly everything had turned out. Sookie had once again managed to exceed everyone's expectations with both the decorations and the food. Each dish was exquisite and cooked to perfection. Even the French delicacy whose name she could not pronounce was delicious.

After the meal, Luke and Lorelai shared their first dance. The supposed-to-be waltz turned into many exaggerated flourishes and spins combined with the couple's carefree and contagious laughter. At the song's end, Lorelai bowed extravagantly, applause erupting from all around. Other couples joined the two on the dance floor.

The chair next to Rory scraped backwards and Jess seated himself in Lorelai's designated spot.

"You know what honestly shocks me about this whole bash?" he said, setting down two glasses of champagne in front of them.

Rory propped her elbow on the table, peering at him with intrigue and mock captivation. "Enlighten me."

"The food," he declared incredulously. "Here I was expecting burgers, tater tots, and mac and cheese, and then I get up to the buffet and I see salmon, roasted red potatoes, and actual grown up food. Were you aware that there are green vegetables up there?"

Rory laughed. "Between Luke and Sookie, Mom didn't have a chance. In order to appease her, Sookie made double the amount of Jordan almonds for the wedding favors and gave her half, and Luke bought her several boxes of Mallomars for their trip. Needless to say, she was appeased."

Jess shook his head. "Between you and your mother, Nabisco will never go out of business."

"We try to do our part in this economic crisis," she replied with feigned humility.

Studying Jess, Rory was pleased to see that his demeanor had improved considerably from the night before. She didn't know the cause of his foul mood, nor what had altered it, but she didn't need to. She was perfectly content in the fact that he was in high spirits now.

She raised the wine glass to her lips, taking a sip. It was then that she remembered something she had wanted to ask him. "Oh, speaking of crises, I assume that the ring issue was cleared up?"

"Yeah, it just so happened that when Luke went to the jewelry store, the man attached to this Dolores Michaels was there with Lorelai's ring. Therefore, no blood was shed."

"I'm so glad everything worked out," Rory replied earnestly, watching as Luke twirled Lorelai on the dance floor. "It's all turned out so perfectly…"

"I'm glad too."

There was a strange intensity in his quiet reply, one that made Rory's attention return to his face. Their eyes met, and for a moment he was the only other person in their candlelit, melodious world.

Jess broke the trance, his gaze shifting toward the dance floor. Rory continued to watch him as a sly, secretive smile lifted one corner of his mouth. His eyes captured her's once more, his expression twisting into a half-smile, half-grimace, as if not believing what he was about to say.

"Do you want to dance?"

Rory's eyebrows rose considerably at his unexpected question, but she was even more surprised by her immediate response.

"Sure," she grinned, slightly bewildered, but completely delighted.

Jess flashed her favorite smile as he stood and took her hand. His was warm and almost protective around her slender fingers. The warmth travelled up her arm and through her limbs, making her feel light headed. The walk onto the dance floor was like a daze. She knew everyone was watching and she knew that there would be talk come tomorrow, but she couldn't detect the slightest bit of concern in her mind.

Stopping near the middle of the dance floor, Jess pulled her close with a flourish. Rory laughed as her other hand moved to rest on his shoulder. Jess placed his hand on the exposed flesh of her back, and she felt a shiver trace down her spine at the intimate contact. She tried to ignore the sensation.

"I figured I owed you a dance since I bailed on you for prom," he said, grimacing apologetically.

Rory shrugged. "You don't need to apologize," she told him, dropping her gaze to stare at the knot of his tie. Although it felt like a lifetime ago, thinking about prom made so many painful memories come back to life; the bus ride where she had seen him last, finding out from her mother that he was gone, her senior prom night spent alone crying in her room. The wounds ran deep, deeper than she had realized, and she kept her eyes averted, not wanting to betray her thoughts.

But Jess, as perceptive as always, could see through her feeble attempt at nonchalance. He dipped his head, trying to catch her eye.

"No, I do need to apologize. It wasn't fair to you, and I'm sorry," he said.

Rory lifted her gaze to meet his. Looking into his warm, brown eyes, she knew she wasn't seeing the same boy who broke her heart.

Suddenly her carefree mindset shattered. While Jess' personal growth was commendable for him, it put her in a vulnerable, dangerous position. She couldn't go down this road, not now. Not when in a mere twenty-four hours it would be over, like waking up from a dream. She needed to gain back some control. Jess had a power over her, whether he realized it or not, and she wasn't prepared to face the consequences of falling for him again. Despite her unexplained aversion to the word, she needed to stay within the realm of friends. After all, they had been friends before they had dated. She could do this.

Calculating what to say, Rory smiled faintly and shrugged.

"We were kids," she said simply. "And besides, this is way better than prom. No cheesy music, we can legally drink alcohol _and_ without having to spike the punch bowl, and I'm sure that your tux and my dress are much more fashionable than anything we would've worn then. It's a win-win."

Jess looked doubtful, but he let it pass. Rory breathed out a silent sigh of relief as the band finished the song. She pulled out of Jess' arms, joining the other guests as they applauded the band. The close proximity to him was causing her heart to pound painfully in her chest. She needed a breather.

As the band took a break, the DJ, Kirk, took over, and Rory saw her opportunity to try and get her head on straight.

"I'm going to go say hi to Lane," she told him, taking a few steps in her best friend's direction.

Jess nodded his acknowledgement as Liz ran up to claim a dance.

Rory found Lane and the other band members at the buffet fixing plates of food.

"Hey," she said, approaching the table. "You guys sound awesome!"

"Hey, thanks," Lane replied, hugging Rory. "I am just so glad that you're here! In the flesh! It's been so long that every time I see you I have to do a double-take to make sure it's really you!"

"You know, this is our first wedding gig," Zach said, dipping a piece of shrimp in the communal bowl of cocktail sauce. With his mouth full, he continued. "We were going for a sort of hinting at traditional, but not _really_ traditional vibe…"

"Does anyone know if any of this cheese is lactose-free?" Brian asked, inspecting the animal by-product.

"Aw man; this brings back some good memories about my wedding day. Rock-and-roll, booze, and my beautiful lady…" Gil began reminiscing.

As the three misfits continued on their spiels, Lane pulled Rory aside.

"What is this thing going on with Jess?" she wanted to know, practically drooling for gossip.

Rory bristled at the suggestive tone. "There is no _thing_ going on," she replied adamantly.

"Are you sure?" Lane asked. "Because I think that everyone in town thinks there's a very _real_ thing going on. You two have been pretty chummy this past week."

"There is no _thing_!" she insisted.

"If you say so…"

Rory sighed. "Well, I don't _want_ there to be a thing," she amended in a mumble, a half-truth.

"Oh my God! There's a thing!" Lane practically screeched, her hands jerking up, thus catapulting the food off her plate.

"Shhh!" Rory pleaded.

"You and Jess have a thing again!" Lane continued, albeit in a hushed tone. "It's so poetic! A tragic romance that has been in motion since you were seventeen, only to climax here, at your mother's fairy tale wedding to her one true love!"

"Lane! That's not what I'm saying!" Rory hissed impatiently. "I'm afraid of a thing _developing_!" Another half-truth.

"Oh." Lane seemed to deflate, her shoulders slumping and her hopeless-romantic grin melting into a pensive frown. "Sorry. I've been in charge of reading the bedtime stories lately. I get a little carried away with happily ever afters."

"I just—I just don't know what to do…" Rory said, disheartened by the whole situation. "Part of me wants to stay away so nothing can happen, but another part wants to spend as much time as possible with him."

"Well, which part is bigger?" Lane inquired softly.

Turning to scan the dance floor, it didn't take long for Rory to spot him. As the song ended, he glanced away from his mom, almost immediately finding her.

All it took was one look, and she had her answer. It may not be sensible, it may not be logical, but it was what she wanted, and that was enough.

**I hope you liked it! I worked really hard on it all for my fatihful followers! :) I promise not to leave you hanging for a year for the next chapter! X] Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10: You Can Have Your Cake

**I'm on a roll! I haven't been at this for a year, but I'm back! :D I hope you're enjoying and please, please review! I live and breathe off of feedback! It keeps me going! Your faithfulness shall be rewarded :]**

Chapter Ten: You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

Jess dropped down into his chair, relieved that it was finally over. He had given his speech and toasted the happy couple. His duties as best man were officially taken care of, and now he could relax.

Rory stood up next and gave her maid of honor speech, sharing many wacky stories of her and her mom's adventures. The end turned heartfelt and sincere, and by the time she raised her glass, there weren't many dry eyes left in the crowd. Lorelai stood up from her seat at the head table and embraced her daughter tightly as the gathering applauded. When they pulled back, they began wiping each other's eyes, laughing at the effort to salvage their makeup.

Next, the photographer, Kirk, ushered the couple over to cut the cake. Jess watched them go and was surprised when Rory plopped down beside him instead of following the guests to the cake table. She took in a shaky breath, her eyes a little red rimmed.

"Well, I didn't expect _that_ to happen," she said, laughing at herself and smoothing out the skirt of her dress self-consciously.

Jess smirked. "So much for the theory that just saying what's on your heart is easy, huh?" he mocked good-humoredly.

Rory narrowed her eyes at him with a mild scowl.

"Hang on a second!" Jess exclaimed in exaggerated alarm. "Is this the infamous withering stare?"

Rory laughed, rolling her eyes at the reference from their day in New York.

"I can't believe you remember that," she laughed, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I remember," he said, laughing as well. "I've got a memory like an elephant." A half-truth. He couldn't remember a lot of things that had happened in school, with Shane, or at his various jobs, but when it came to Rory, everything was high definition. Every word, every touch, every kiss was permanently ingrained in his memory. He couldn't forget even if he wanted to.

The crowd began cheering, and the two looked over in time to see Luke and Lorelai smear cake across each other's faces. Laughing and shouts of encouragement resonated throughout the crowd, but before a full-out food fight could start with her masterpiece as the ammunition, Sookie stepped in as referee, much to the group's disappointment. As Sookie calmly began cutting the cake, the guests began forming a line.

Rory laughed at the spectacle, a sound that Jess never tired of.

"What kind of cake do you want?" she asked, standing up.

"Hm. Surprise me," he answered.

Jess watched as she got in line next to Paris, and the two immediately struck up a conversation. Paris's loud, monotonous voice carried across the square, obviously impassioned by the subject matter. From what he could tell, she was talking politics as per usual.

As he looked away, he accidently made eye contact with Lorelai. She was laughing with Babette and Miss Patty, wiping the last remnants of icing off her cheek. Her smile faded a little when she noticed Jess, her expression thoughtful. Glancing to where Rory stood in line, and back at him, she excused herself and started in his direction.

Jess quickly averted his eyes, cursing himself for not doing so sooner. He could feel his blood pressure escalate as dread seeped into his chest.

The rustling of fabric alerted Jess to Lorelai's presence as she sat down in the chair that Rory had occupied moments before. He immediately straightened, on edge. After all, he hadn't spoken to Lorelai one-on-one since he was a seventeen year old delinquent who happened to be dating her daughter. He was also the guy who had dumped said daughter without even having the guts to do it in person. Lorelai's opinion of him hadn't been spectacular then, and he was positive it could only be worse now.

Bracing himself for the onslaught, he warily met her gaze.

"Hi, Jess," she said with a friendly smile.

Jess nodded and attempted a smile in return.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" she asked, putting off whatever real reason she had for talking to him.

"Yep," he answered stiffly.

"That was a nice speech you gave," she complimented him. "I know Luke really appreciated it."

"Thanks," he replied awkwardly.

"Are you going to get some cake? Sookie's cake is outstanding."

"Uh, Rory actually went up to get us some," he said, growing more anxious by the second. He wished she would just say what she had come to say.

Lorelai nodded, her glance going to Rory who was about halfway through the cake line, still in conversation with the heated Paris.

"Look," she began abruptly, "you and Rory have been through a lot."

_Here we go..._ he thought, preparing himself for the worst.

"And I know that you and I have never been on the best of terms," she said tactfully. "_But_, I wanted to say…thank you."

Surprised was an understatement. Floored was closer. Astonished seemed to fit the best. She wanted to _thank him?_ Where was this coming from?

His reaction must have been written all over his face because Lorelai smiled. "I know, right? You probably would have never thought I'd have anything to thank you for," she chuckled.

"Nothing that comes to mind," he answered, trying to regain his composure.

"Well, I do," she replied in all seriousness. "If it wasn't for your visit to Rory a couple years back, I don't know where she'd be right now."

Finally, Jess' brain connected the dots. This was about when Rory was taking time off from Yale. When he had come to give her a copy of his novel and tell her that he couldn't have done it without her. He initially tried to keep his thoughts about her choices to himself, but in the end he couldn't take it anymore. He had more or less yelled at her, but it was only because he was worried about the direction her life was headed in. He wasn't going to let her throw away her dreams like that.

"Nothing I said, nothing I tried got through to her," Lorelai continued earnestly, pulling him back to the present. "But whatever it was that you did, it worked. She was lost and you helped pull her through."

Jess squirmed, uncomfortable at her praise. "She would've figured it out sooner or later," he shrugged.

"Well, whether that's the case or not, thank you, Jess," she said resolutely, standing up.

Jess nodded, and she smiled and went to join her husband.

Moments later, Jess watched Rory approach juggling three plates piled with cake. Jess stared at her incredulously.

"Is any of that for me?" he asked, shaking his head as she carefully set the plates down.

"If you're good," she consented.

"You know, when I said surprise me, I didn't have this in mind," he laughed.

"I got a piece of every flavor," she said, ignoring his comment as she sat down. At his raised eyebrow, she explained, "Mom couldn't decide on just one or two flavors of cake, so she made every layer half and half of two different flavors. We've got Swiss Chocolate, Marble, Strawberry, Funfetti, Yellow, Red Velvet, Lemon, Spice Cake, Dark Chocolate Fudge, and White with raspberry filling."

Jess surveyed the massive amount of dessert. "Wow," was all he could think to say.

Rory grinned and handed him a fork. "Shall we?"

For the next hour, the two talked about anything from books to movies and music. They discussed the movies they had seen, both critiquing and praising. They talked about bands they had discovered, as well as the bands that just needed to stay in the garage. When it came to books, they were mainly trying to persuade the other into reading the ones they loved, all the while plowing through the piles of cake.

"Mmm!" Rory exclaimed, her mouth full of Funfetti cake. She swallowed. "Have you heard anything by Owl City?"

"You mean the insomniac who lives in his parents' basement?" Jess scoffed, stabbing another forkful of the Yellow cake.

"Mm-hmm," she giggled through another mouthful.

"Yeah, I've listened to a few things."

"And?" she prompted.

He shrugged. "They're alright," he conceded.

"I like them," Rory replied confidently, finishing off the Dark Chocolate Fudge.

At that moment, Kirk came over the loud speakers announcing that it was time for the tossing of the bouquet and garter, requesting that the ladies come out onto the dance floor.

Rory, always a sucker for tradition, joined the other women on the hardwood floor as Lorelai came to the front of the gathering. Lorelai counted to three and tossed the rose bouquet over her head. Miss Patty caught the flowers, and proceeded to wave them in the air, as if the simple gesture would attract her fifth husband.

Rory came back to the table as Kirk announced for the men to come onto the floor. Jess didn't move out of his seat.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked, a playful smile on her lips.

"The better question is what am I _not _doing," he replied, smirking at her.

"Oh, come on, get out there!" She tugged on his arm and dragged him to his feet. "Go, go, go!" She gave him a push and he reluctantly walked onto the dance floor, shoving his hands into his pockets. It was no use fighting her sometimes. When he reached the congregation of males, he looked back at Rory who gave him a thumbs-up. He exhaled, shaking his head with a wry smile.

"Don't think that just because you're young that you're going to beat me."

Jess looked around to Jackson who stood in what looked like a wrestling ready position, facing the front.

"You're already married," Jess stated. "It doesn't really count for you."

"Oh no, you don't!" Jackson exclaimed, shifting his weight from side to side. "You're not going to psych _me_ out. No Sir-ee Bob."

There had to be something in the water in this town…

Sitting on a chair in the middle of the dance floor, Lorelai extended her right leg suggestively as Luke knelt down. The crowd, now more rowdy than ever from the mass consumption of alcohol, erupted into hooting and whistling. It sounded like a monster truck rally.

When Luke threw the garter, Jess had absolutely no intension of even attempting to catch it, especially with Hulk Hogan standing next to him. As the garter came straight at him, however, he reflexively put out his hand and caught it. Perfect.

As he made his way back towards Rory, it was obvious she was trying to contain her laughter.

"Don't say it," he warned her, knowing she would anyway.

"You and Miss Patty will make a lovely couple," she told him, her expression matter-of-fact.

He sighed, tossing the garter onto the table and sinking into his chair. He drained the rest of his champagne.

"And don't worry about being compared to her past husbands," Rory continued, sitting in the chair next to him. "You've got the whole youth thing going for you."

"Stop," he begged.

"Okay," she consented. There was a brief silence. "Mrs. Patty Mariano…" she murmured, as if testing out the name.

Jess groaned and Rory laughed.

Soon after, it was time for the bride and groom to depart for their honeymoon. As Rory was saying goodbye to her mom, Luke approached Jess.

As Luke opened his mouth to begin, Jess interrupted.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to burn anything down, I'll open on time every day, I'll have patience with the customers, even Kirk, I'll clean up nice and tidy, and try to keep the open diner raves to a minimum," he droned. "Did I leave anything out?"

Luke closed his mouth, opened it again, then closed it. "Nope, I think that's everything," he concluded.

"Alright, well you two kids have fun," Jess said, clapping Luke's shoulder.

"Thanks again, Jess," Luke said in a low voice. "For watching the diner and just being here and everything."

Jess smiled. "You're welcome."

"And Jess…" Luke hesitated for a moment, glancing in Lorelai and Rory's direction. He looked back at his nephew, his expression wary. "Just be careful."

Jess nodded in acknowledgement, surprised at his uncle's phrasing. For once Luke didn't tell him to not do anything stupid or threaten him about staying away from a certain someone. In a strange way, it showed that Luke actually trusted him, and that faith affected him more than Luke knew.

Final goodbyes said, everyone gathered around as Luke and Lorelai climbed into Luke's truck, a 'Just Married' banner across the tailgate and empty coffee cans dangling off the bumper. The engine started to life and the couple waved and drove out of the square.

The party dwindled from there, the number of guests gradually decreasing until there was only a handful left.

"Hey, how is _your_ book selling?" Rory asked, taking a sip of champagne. She and Jess were sitting on one of the large loud speakers, watching Kirk and Lulu, the last remaining couple, dance to a slow song out on the floor. The only other people around were the caterers who were busying cleaning up the reception area.

"It's doing better," he shrugged, adjusting his rolled up shirt sleeve. He had long abandoned his tux jacket and bow tie, and his vest hung unbuttoned. "I wasn't really expecting much, but my editor keeps assuring me that once I put an ending on this manuscript I'll be living large." Jess rolled his eyes doubtfully.

"Wait, wait, wait; back up," Rory quickly interjected, sitting upright in a flash. "_This _manuscript?"

Oops.

"Are you writing another book?" she demanded, her expression eager.

Jess cringed at his stupidity. He hadn't meant for that to slip out. He sighed, running a hand over his face.

"Sort of…?"

"Is it the sequel to _The Subsect_?" she asked, her enthusiasm building. "Do you have it here with you?"

"Whoa, take it easy, Katie Couric."

"You do! You do have it with you, don't you?" she exclaimed.

Stretching his arms out, he faked a yawn.

"You know, it's getting pretty late," he began, hopping off the speaker and heading toward Luke's.

Rory was right behind him. She caught up and grasped his forearm, a pleading look in her eyes.

"Oh, come on, Jess!" she beseeched him. "Let me read it!"

Jess grimaced, not knowing how he could refuse her, especially at this proximity. "It's not that good," he objected. "It hasn't even been to the editor yet."

"But that's _why _I want to read it," she insisted.

"It's not even finished yet."

"_Jess, I want to read it!_"

"It's late…"

"Jess, face it," Rory said stubbornly. "You're not talking me out of this."

Grasping for something to say, he finally just exhaled roughly. "Alright, fine," he replied abrasively, annoyed that he had given in so quickly.

Rory grinned, more than a little smug.

"But if you whip out your editor's pen, you're out the door," he warned her.

"Yeah, yeah," she said teasingly, pushing him towards the diner.

As they passed the drink table, Jess swiped a bottle of champagne out of the ice bucket.

"I don't know about you," he said, turning to face her while still walking backwards, "but I'm going to need this."

Rory rolled her eyes, smiling at her victory.

**Hope you enjoyed reading cuz I enjoyed writing it! Review pretty please!!!**


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